Trent Alexander-Arnold insists the inquest into Liverpool's troubled season can wait as they aim to take a big step towards the top four at home to Manchester United on Sunday.
A 2-0 win against Wolves on Wednesday took the Reds to within six points of fourth-place Tottenham with Jurgen Klopp's side still in possession of a game in hand at Chelsea later this month and Antonio Conte's Spurs also set to visit Anfield at the end of April.
Goals from Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah were enough to ease past their visitors as they made it four successive clean sheets in the Premier League and 10 points from the last 12 on offer since they suffered a 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture at Molineux last month.
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Alexander-Arnold accepts the campaign has not panned out how anyone within the Liverpool squad had hoped it would when it got underway in August but says the minimum required target of a top-four finish has now at least provided the players with some clarity as they get set to welcome fierce rivals United to Anfield this weekend.
And the No.66 indicated that the post-season discussions about what went wrong will pull no punches behind the scenes at the AXA Training Centre.
In an exclusive chat with the ECHO, Alexander-Arnold said: "Of course, as a team, we would have hoped to have had a much better season, to be in the title race and in and around trying to win the league but that hasn't been the case this season. It's one of those, we will assess what really went wrong and what happened at the end of the season. It's not one for dissecting during the middle of the year.
"We've got to focus on the task ahead and our targets have probably changed a bit. We still want the top four and that is what we all want as a team, as players, as a club. That is where we need to be and we need to give everything we can to make sure we're in the Champions League next year.
"There is always a weird transition period in the season where you're sort of in between targets. Whether you can push for the league or you're fighting for top four and there is always a weird air about it. But I think now we fully understand what our task is now and it's to go and get the top four.
"That's our aim, that's our target and we're clear in our vision. That is what we're aiming for and as a team we think it's achievable and as a team we just need to go there and produce it and that starts with us. We started out with a good set of results, the last four league games especially and then it's obviously a big one on Sunday."
United head to Merseyside with ample confidence earned from a recent run that saw them win the Carabao Cup against Newcastle in the same week they knocked Barcelona out of the Europa League. They followed up those results by securing a quarter-final place in the FA Cup on Wednesday and Erik ten Hag's men have a real opportunity to deal their old enemy a hammer blow for their top-four hopes this weekend.
Alexander-Arnold added: "It's a big fixture. It's always big no matter what's going on between the two teams and the different situations that are going on. The game is always massive, it's always the one the fans want to win and as players we really want to win as well, so it's one the club is passionate about. There's a big three points up for grabs and that is the aim is to get the three points this Sunday."
Despite a turbulent campaign that has seen them lose 11 times in all competitions and seven in the Premier League, Liverpool enter the final two months perhaps buoyed by their recent track record in the final weeks of the season
In 2021, a 10-game unbeaten run that included eight wins saw them surge up the table into the top three, while last year, Klopp's men took 32 points from the final 36 available to go within a whisker of the title, ending their term on 92, just one behind eventual champions Manchester City.
"I think as a team we all enjoy the business end of the year," says Alexander-Arnold. "When results really, really matter because you know your targets...Losing a game at the end of April is a lot different to losing at the start of September. You can always make up the points elsewhere in the season whereas at the end of the season you can't and there is no room for error and I think we thrive on that as a team.
"Hopefully that will play into our favour but you have to make sure you're still in the mix for the final few games and there's still a long way to go and there are a lot of games to be played. It's important we put ourselves in a good position to go and push on at the end."
The England international was speaking at the opening of the brand new Under Armour store in Liverpool One, which is the first of its kind in the UK. Alexander-Arnold has been the poster-boy of the American sportswear company for the past few years this side of the Atlantic and spoke of his pride at seeing the flagship outlet opened in his home city.
"I've always loved the brand," he says. "Growing up I was always wearing Under Armour and stuff so it was important for me and it's a pleasure and an honour to be associated with the brand. It's very exciting and I think today has been very special for me!
"Growing up you never think of days like today but to be able to come here and open up the store has been a very special day for me. The aim is to be recognisable and associated with such an amazing brand, so if that is the case then it is something I am very proud of and I believe that there is more to come."
Part 2 of the ECHO's exclusive chat with Trent Alexander-Arnold takes us inside the leadership circle within the Liverpool squad
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